Three Scoobies and A Baby
by See Jane Write
Summary: Anya was pregnant when Xander left her at the altar. Several months later, she gives him her revenge. Chapter Ten up.
1. Chapter One

Three Scoobies and a Baby

Disclaimer: None of the magnificent _Buffy_ characters are property of me (yet, at least...A girl can dream...). Anyway, Joss Whedon gets all of the credit for everything remotely related to his show and I sadly am not him nor do I know him...But that would be cool. Hehe. Revenge for killing off the characters I love...Interesting theory. Off topic, I apologize.

Author's Note: Once again, there is something weird and strange. Takes place in a semi-alternate season seven and where Anya had never come back to Sunnydale after Xander left her. And if anyone is at all familiar with the plot of _Three Men and a Baby_ (also not my work, but one of my favorite movies...), then that someone would be good at guessing the basic plot of this

"Um, Buffy?" Dawn Summers began in utter confusion as she tiptoed cautiously over the threshold and into her house after a long day at the newly rebuilt Sunnydale High School. "Buffy!" she called a little louder as she peeked her head into the living room, where both Buffy and Willow were seated at the end of the table, both glancing at some discovery Willow had made over the Internet on her laptop.

"What?" Buffy asked as she stood up and pushed her wooden chair under the table. "Something wrong? Something demon-y happen at the high school? Were there invisible people? Hyenas?" she asked in a genuinely concerned and worried voice.

Dawn shook her head. "Nothing like that," she assured her older sister. "And if you're so worried about things happening to me at school then why don't you just take the counseling job? It's on the school and Hellmouth so you could watch for weirdness. And we really could use the money," she pointed out gently. She shook her head. "That's not the important thing," she said as she refocused her mind to the shocking facts that were important.

"What?" Buffy asked as she warily walked over towards her sister.

Dawn let out a huge sigh as she glanced over at the almost closed door. "I can't really explain it," she began.

"Then how am I supposed to know what it is?" Buffy asked as she began growing slightly irritated with Dawn. She knew that her sister was still relatively new to the whole identifying demons thing, but she suspected she would at least be able to describe it somehow by this point.

"You could try opening the door and looking about fifty inches down," Dawn said as she walked over towards the seat Buffy had abandoned.

"Small demons?" Willow asked as she joined Buffy in the walk over towards the door.

"To some, yes," Dawn commented as she sat down.

Buffy sighed as she finally placed her hand on the doorknob and began pulling the door towards herself slowly. "And now the mind-numbing question," she muttered. "What is behind the door?"

Nothing the Hellmouth had ever produced could have prepared Buffy and Willow for what they were about to see. The two of them did as they had been instructed by Dawn. The door was now opened and the two friends were staring down, their mouths wide open in shock. They then closed the door and reopened it just to see if it was really happening.

Willow was the first to speak. "It's a baby," she informed the Slayer as she knelt down closer to the pink bundle enclosed in a small basinet on their doorstep. "Right?" she asked as she glanced up at Buffy. "I'm not just dreaming?"

Buffy shook her head in denial. "No, if this were a dream there would be an old guy with some cheese. This is reality," she pointed out as she too knelt down to the basinet. "This is some prank," she declared as she peered further down Revello Drive in search of some reality show van. But there was none.

"No, I don't think so," Willow countered as she picked up a small piece of pink stationary from beside the sleeping baby girl. "About the prank anyway," she added as she scanned the writing.

"What's that?" Buffy asked curiously.

"A note," Willow answered clearly before reciting. "Dear Xander," she began as she looked up at Buffy with widened hazel eyes.

"Oh god," Buffy interrupted. "Anya," she stated. "It has to be her. She did this. It has to be her, right? Xander wouldn't go and hook up with Cordelia again, right?"

"It's from Anya," Willow declared strongly. "Her handwriting and everything," she added for evidence as she refolded the note and placed it back next to the baby. "Child's name is Morgan and she's four months old. That's what we need to know right now. That's all it says that would be important to us."

Buffy let out a huge sigh as she slumped down to the doorstep and sat down, crossing her legs to Indian-style like she had done when she was much younger. "What are we supposed to do about this?" she asked as she turned her head over to Willow.

The witch returned the look of confusion. "I'm not sure," she began. "When's Xander get back from his trip?"

"He's scheduled to come back on Friday," Buffy stated after thinking the question over for a minute. "But if we call him and explain this, I'm sure it can be earlier."

"What'll we do until then?" Dawn asked as she approached from behind her older sister. Since that made her feel way too tall, she too joined Buffy in sitting in the doorway staring at the small pink basinet in front of their feet.

As if she somehow knew what was going on around her, the small infant awoke with a loud scream. Tears began pouring down her young and red face.

"Buffy?" Dawn asked once again as her eyes widened and she turned to her sister, waiting for guidance and instruction.

Buffy shrugged, blowing loose strands of blond hair out of her face as she moved so that she was on her knees kneeling over the basinet and looking at the still screaming child. Not knowing anything else that she could do, the Slayer cautiously leaned over and picked the child up, being extremely careful to support her head. Even though she was only six when she remembered Dawn coming home, she still had the memory of Joyce Summers telling her just how fragile babies could be.

"Why isn't she stopping?" Buffy asked weakly a moment later after she drew the child in closer to her body as if protecting it from what was going on.

"Maybe she's hungry," Dawn suggested.

"Great," Buffy muttered under her breath. "I can't feed her. Will, do you see any baby formula in the basket there?"

Willow gave the basinet a cursory look-over. Seconds later she finished and shook her head. "Sorry."

"Not your fault," Buffy replied as she began rocking Morgan gently in her arms. "I'm sorry, but just what the hell was Anya thinking? Leaving us with this? We're supposed to save the world. We can't protect her and do that!"

"Shh!" Dawn scolded as she held a finger up in front of her lips. With her other hand she gave an emphatic gesture down at the young baby who was screaming even louder if such a thing were possible.

"Sorry," Buffy apologized weakly. "Things are just frustrating right now, that's all. Those girls in my dreams are real and they are being killed. I just don't have time to deal with this."

"We're here," Willow said soothingly as she placed a soothing hand on Buffy's shoulder. "We're all here and ready to be put to good use. What do you want us to do?"

Buffy pondered the option for a moment. There were just so many things that had to be done, but so little time to do it. There was only so much crying one Slayer could take. After a certain amount, she would just start going insane. She sighed, clearing her mind as she began thinking clearly for once. "Willow, if you had Dawn, how fast could you be at the store buying baby food and diapers and stuff?"

Willow bit her upper lip in thought. "Probably not too terribly long," she began honestly as she reached into her pocket in search of the car keys. "You think you can manage things here?"

Buffy looked down at the still crying child as an exasperated look fell over her face. "Just get food and diapers and hurry," she said as she carefully walked inside with the infant. Dawn took one look at her older sister before moving the basinet into the main hallway of the Summers house.

"Quick as we can," Willow promised as she retrieved the keys. "Ready Dawnie?"

"Don't call me that, but yes, I'm ready," Dawn answered as she headed for the car.

"And Buffy, you sure you can handle?" Willow asked with concern for Buffy's sanity and the infant's safety.

"I'll be fine," Buffy assured her friend. "But I am calling Xander and he is coming home from that trip," she finished in an irritated tone of voice. Not that it was entirely her friend's fault, but he had handled things differently, they would not have been in the mess they were about to face.


	2. Chapter Two

Disclaimer: I am the fan fiction writer who doesn't own anything. And if you ask me to own anything, I'll just tell you...I don't own anything...Sigh. the kids I babysit watch too many Veggie tales movies. It's rubbing off.

Chapter Two

Buffy groaned as she saw Willow and Dawn pull away from the driveway, hopefully going to the closest supermarket rather than the one that had baby food for the lowest price. She sighed, placing the infant back in the basinet and bringing it inside, placing it down near the dining room table for a second as she grabbed the phone and started dialing Xander's cell.

After waiting for it to ring the designated number of times, she finally got through to his voice mail. "Xander, it's Buffy," she began speaking after the beep. "There's this really, really, really big problem here and mostly because of you. We love you and all, but get your ass back in Sunnydale as soon as you get this message. I don't care about your job right now. I mean, I do, but this is more important."

Buffy glanced down at the child, relived that she was still not crying. Her face widened in fear as she realized what exactly was occupying the child that kept her from screaming. A small corner of the white tablecloth was held tightly in the child's drool-clad hands. Seconds later the contents of the table were sure to fall on her, including but not limited to Willow's laptop and some stakes.

"Shit!" Buffy yelled as she quickly yanked the tablecloth away and picked up the now crying again baby. "Xander, just get back here," she commanded before hanging up.

Buffy sighed heavily, wondering what she had in her house that was baby safe that could actually be of interest. Her face brightened slightly as she wondered if she still had children books in her attic. She then frowned, realizing there was no way she could get to the attic with a baby and there was definitely no way she would leave it unoccupied, especially in the weird Sunnydale house she owned.

Buffy frowned as she began rocking Morgan back and forth within her arms. "You want to watch some TV?" she asked in a high-pitched soft voice that made her sick to listen to. She could not believe the pain her mother must have had to go through with her.

Buffy sighed again, walking over to the couch and sitting down, Morgan held carefully in her lap. "Ok, what do you want to do? How about a story?" she asked curiously. "Or maybe you'd just like to hear me talk in a sickening gentle voice to you since you can't understand a word of what I'm saying anyway." Buffy flashed the child with a small smile and to her amazement her idea was beginning to work. Morgan has stopped screaming with tears and was now looking up at Buffy.

"Ok, I'll tell you a story," Buffy decided. "Once upon a time there was a dead man who we'll just call Xander," she said in a sweet voice. She sighed as she peered out the window again. "Come on Aunt Willow and Aunt Dawn," she continued in the baby-talk voice. "What could possibly take this long even though in retrospect it's probably only been a few minutes?"

Willow and Dawn gaped open-mouthed in horror at the long aisle of baby foods in the store. "H-how?" Dawn asked as she picked up one of the small cans of food. "How can something so small eat so much?" she asked as she turned her head to Willow.

Willow shrugged as she picked two of the small cans, one for each hand, and held them up for Dawn to see. "Apples or bananas?" she asked curiously as she began balancing the two like a scale.

"Fifteen containers of each," Dawn answered as she began counting out containers of bananas and placing them carefully in the shopping cart behind her. "I remember my mom telling me that when I was a baby, I ate 'round the clock and we don't know how long it will take before Xander gets back," she explained as she scanned the shelves for some more types of fruit.

"Better not take too long," Willow put in as she started comparing brands of formula. "I mean, yea, people like babies. But people also have lives to get to. Things like high school, college, saving the world time and time again." She sighed in frustration as she turned to Dawn. "Expensive or cheap formula?"

"Both," Dawn answered as she started piling containers of baby peaches in the cart. "As long as we have the receipt, Xander could always pay us back," she suggested with a slightly mischievous smile on her pale face.

"True," Willow agreed. "But that doesn't mean you can buy whatever you want and say Xander should pay for it."

"Darn," Dawn muttered in mock disappointment. "I'm joking," she quickly added. "Even though this really isn't a joking matter."

Willow casually slung her wrist out in front of her to get a better look at her watch. "Ok, we had better hurry though. How about you finish here with the food and I'll run to the other aisle and get bibs and spoons and things then we'll meet at the check-out."

"Sure," Dawn agreed as she reached for various fruits and added them to the massive collection of food already in the cart. She heard the loud steps from Willow's boots begin to fade as the witch took off down the aisle. Dawn quickly scanned the shelf for any other food for babies just beginning to eat solid foods. Judging from the baby's age, Dawn doubted she had been eating real food for a long time, if at all.

After deciding she had enough baby food to feed a third world country, Dawn started making her way towards the check-out line. She looked at the various counters trying to spot Willow anywhere. She smiled, seeing the familiar face motioning for her to come down to an empty aisle. Being extremely careful not to break any jar of food, Dawn made her way to Willow and the two of them began emptying the cart's contents out.

The cashier just watched in shock as she saw dozens upon dozens of food coming her way. "Woah," she began as she glanced at Willow and Dawn. "Curiosity, just how many children did you two adopt?"

"Us?" Willow asked in shock. "Us adopt?" she continued as she shook her head. "No, it's not like that. We're just doing a favor for a friend and he's going to be killed when he returns from his trip," she said as anger began rising in her voice.

"Calm," Dawn commanded Willow sternly as she turned back to the cashier. "We're just helping a friend with his, um, twins," she said.

"Right," the cashier said as she did not really buy the story. But it truly was none of her business and she decided not to press the matter any further but just simply ring up the items.

"What the hel...eck happened here?" Dawn asked as she walked into the Summers house, both arms holding relatively heavy bags filled with baby supplies. With just a quick glance in the family room, the youngest Summers girl could tell that something had went on in there. All of the curtains were tied up and blankets were tossed all around the floor. Their coffee table was no longer in the room for it was now balancing on top of the tablecloth-less dining room table in the other room.

Buffy peeked her head out from behind the couch and gave a triumphant smile. "I survived," she announced proudly. "Nothing suited her, but we ended up playing and I had to tie things up so they wouldn't fall or she wouldn't hit her head against them," she argued.

"Of course," Dawn said as she walked through the hallway and placed the two bags on the counter. "Where is the little girl anyway?" she asked curiously.

"Napping in your room," Buffy announced. "Which by the way, your clothes should not be thrown all over the room," she added with a slight smile.

"Why my room?" Dawn pouted as she heard Willow enter and close the house door behind her. "In here," she called for the witch's benefit.

"Because your room is relatively clean and does not have weapons lying about," Buffy answered plainly as she plopped herself down onto one of the stools at the counter and began helping Dawn sort out the fruits from the bags.

"Diapers in the downstairs bathroom," Willow announced as she came into the kitchen.

"Great," Buffy said. "We're just sorting out all of this food."

Willow rolled her eyes. "Have fun with that," she said as she started walking out the kitchen.

"Us?" Buffy asked. "You have to help too, you know," she began. "If anyone should not have to do this, it should be me 'cause I had Morgan while you two were off shopping."

"Which was very hard work," Dawn argued. "I have homework to do!" she argued. "I see why you guys didn't like Mr. Beach so much," she added.

As if she somehow sensed the small argument going on downstairs, Morgan started crying from the room upstairs. "Not changing her!" Buffy quickly announced.

"Well, I was going to sort food," Willow said in defense as she reached for several small jars.

"I still have homework," Dawn argued.

"Alright," Buffy began. "There has to be some fair way of deciding this," she said.

The three girls sighed and each stuck out their right fist in front of them. In a synchronized style, they moved that hand up and down three times before doing some rock, paper, or scissors symbol with the hand.

"Ha!" Buffy said as she pulled away from the small circle. "Rock beats scissors," she announced as she headed toward the other room while Willow and Dawn repeated the game of rock, paper, and scissors. In the end, Dawn wound up loosing.

"Fine," she mumbled. "But next time, I am not changing her," she said as she began stomping up the stairs miserably.

After what seemed like an eternity, the three girls had successfully changed Morgan's diaper, fed her, and gotten her to fall asleep once more. They sat together on the couch in the family room just wanting to go to sleep. Nothing else seemed to matter anymore. Nothing else except, of course, getting revenge on Xander and Anya somehow.

"Don't you have to patrol?" Dawn asked curiously as she tilted her head towards her older sister.

Buffy responded by letting out a loud groan. "You know, the innocent people vampires kill shouldn't be out in Sunnydale at night anyway," she argued. "I've had enough world-saving for a day, thank you very much."

"God, how did our parents put up with this?" Willow asked as she felt her eyes beginning to get extremely heavy. "I think I'm going to call it a night," she announced as she forced herself to stand from the couch.

At that moment, the front door opened. The nice warm smell of pizza began filling the house as the sound from the door closing could be heard. "Hey," Xander announced as he walked into the family room. "I got your message and brought a pizza," he began. "So what's this big problem?"


	3. Chapter Three

Disclaimer: The names, places, mythology all might sound familiar. I didn't make them up (well, except Morgan...She's all mine, that little slut. Only she's not a slut yet...Never mind...) Everything's Joss's as usual.

Chapter Three

Buffy, Willow, and Dawn all stared at Xander as if he had three heads and was wearing a rabbit costume. "Did you just ask what the big problem was?" Buffy asked. "Did you just try to ask what the problem was?" she repeated in her furious anger with her friend.

Xander glanced over at where he expected the coffee table to be, but found it was missing. He then took a moment and analyzed the chaotic remains of the room. Neither Willow nor Buffy felt they had the energy to rearrange things after getting Morgan off to bed. "What happened here?" he asked curiously. "Is it some big demon thing? Is the world ending?"

"The outside world, no," Willow answered truthfully. "But you can consider your world basically over."

Dawn nodded emphatically. "Seriously," she added. Her words were followed by a heavy sigh as she flopped back against the couch.

"Why?" Xander asked as he sat down in the love seat across from the couch, the pizza resting in his lap. "Did Anya come back here?" he asked as his face began changing ghastly pale shades of horror.

"Well, kinda," Willow began slowly.

"Kinda?" Xander asked. "How can you kinda come back to Sunnydale?"

"Well," Buffy continued hesitantly. "It's presumed she was here. Either that or she got that vengeance demon friend of hers to drop it off"

"Drop it off?" Xander asked, the suspense nearly killing him. If Anya had been in town, he certainly needed to know about it. He had to find her and try to make things right between them, if he still could. "Drop what off?" he prodded as he looked expectantly at his three friends.

Once again as if she had some sort of psychic power letting her know she was being talked about, Morgan began screaming from Dawn's room on the second floor. Xander's face continued paling as he tried to put the facts together.

Willow, Buffy, and Dawn all looked at each other than quickly placed both their hands holding up two fingers at either side of their head.

"Bunny," Buffy said as she completed the ritual first.

"Bunny," Willow immediately echoed as her hands were too by her head.

"No fair," Dawn pouted. "I lost the bunny-up on feeding her, changing her into an old shirt, and getting her a new diaper already. Shouldn't Xander have to do it? She is **his** daughter, not mine."

"Woah, woah, woah," Xander began as he stood up from the chair, forgetting completely about the pizza in his lap. The box remained closed as it fell to the floor. "Rewind and freeze," he commanded. "Since when did I have a daughter?"

"Who did you think was up there hollering?" Willow asked. "My child?"

Xander groaned angrily as he looked down at his friends. "Is that seriously my daughter up there?" he asked.

Buffy nodded. "One hundred percent," she declared.

"Actually, fifty percent," Willow corrected. "Technically."

Xander groaned again. "Very helpful," he mumbled sarcastically.

"Don't just stand there," Buffy began. "She obviously wants something. There are some diapers and diaper wipes upstairs by her basinet in Dawn's room. Food is downstairs in the cabinets next to the fridge as well as formula. Baby spoons are in with the rest of the silverware. Bibs and bottles are in the large paper bag at the end of the counter," she explained as she rose from the couch, stretching her arms out in front of her as she held back a yawn. "I'm going to bed," she announced.

"Me too," Dawn said as she too rose and began heading for the stairs. "Buffy, can I sleep in mom's room since someone's daughter is hogging mine?"

Buffy nodded as she joined her sister on the stairs. The two of them began walking up.

"Come on," Xander begged as he watched the two of them grow closer to the top of the stairs. "You have to help," he stated before giving up on the Summers sisters and turning back to Willow. "Aren't I right?"

Willow shook her head. "Not in this case," she pointed out as she too began walking upstairs. Not wanting to go to sleep quite yet she walked into Buffy and Dawn's room, closing the door almost all the way behind her. "You'll figure it out," she called out to Xander.

"I never figured anything else out," he tried to argue but the only response that comment earned him was the slamming from the bedroom door. Xander sighed heavily as he figured the only thing left to do was go up to the child.

He cautiously tiptoed into Dawn's room and flicked the lights on, catching sight of the small basinet in front of the bed. A small hand was extended out in front of the baby's face, shielding its eyes against the harsh bright lights from the ceiling.

The screaming seemed to die down slightly as the child knew she was receiving some form of attention. Xander knelt down in front of the basinet and he leaned his head over, catching sight of his daughter.

In spite of all that was going on, Xander felt his heart melting slightly at the sight of her. Tears and drool covered a good portion of her slightly red face and she was dressed in an old maroon Sunnydale High School shirt, which was way to big for her. But she was his.

"Hey, shh, shh," Xander began soothingly as he scooted himself forward so that he was almost even with his daughter. He placed his hand into the basinet and began tenderly rubbing his daughter's small arm up and down. "It's ok," he continued soothingly. "I'm here."

"Do you think we should help him?" Buffy asked curiously as the sound of the crying increased once again. The Slayer had gotten changed into her nice warm pink cow pajamas and was now in the process of brushing out her long honey colored hair.

Dawn shrugged as she searched through Buffy's drawers for an old t-shirt and some sweatpants that she could wear for she did not want to get some night clothes from her own room for fear that doing such would get her sucked into helping Xander change another diaper. "I'd give him another couple of minutes to figure out what he's doing," she answered truthfully.

Willow smiled as she crawled up onto the bed. "Out of all of us, which one do you think will be the next to have a child?" she asked curiously.

"Hmm," Buffy began. "I would probably say you," she answered. "I mean, not on your own, but I can see you adopting one day."

"It could be me!" Dawn argued.

"Not until you're way beyond college," Buffy answered plainly. She sighed as she found the crying was not dying down at all. It had for a few seconds but then it had picked right back up again and now it was just full out hollering. "Now do you think we should go help him?"

"Only help figure out what's wrong," Willow answered. "He has to do some things on his own."

"Come on, sweetie," Xander begged the small screaming infant in front of him. He had removed his sweatshirt and the sleeves from his shirt were rolled up as he hovered above the basinet. "Are you hungry? Do you need a new diaper? Daddy doesn't know everything."

"Clearly," Buffy added as she walked into Dawn's room. "You can't even tell what she wants." That being said, Buffy walked over and carefully placed her hands underneath the child's arms and cautiously picked her up so that she was holding the infant carefully in her arms. "Smell," Buffy commanded Xander as she changed the position in which she was holding Morgan slightly so that Xander could more easily see if her diaper needed changing again.

"Phew," Xander announced a moment later as he pulled away in disgust. "That's disgusting."

"Well she thinks so too!" Buffy said as she carefully transferred Morgan into Xander's arms. "Change the diaper and it makes the world a better place," she said as she walked back out the room.

"You're not helping?" Xander asked in shock.

"She's your daughter," was Buffy's reply. "We put off saving the world to take care of her. Now its your turn," she added as she reentered her bedroom, closing the door behind her.

Xander once again let out a groan as he sank down to the carpeted floor next to the diaper supplies. While using one hand to support his daughter's head, Xander used his other hand to grab the old faded brown towel and spread it out on the floor in front of him. After it was spread out enough, he carefully transferred the infant from his arms onto the towel. "Do you know what comes next?" he asked the child. "Of course you don't," he muttered. "Willow," he called out in a begging tone of voice. "Come on, Will!"

As he found he was getting no reply, he turned his attention back onto the girl. He glanced up at the diaper supplies next to her. Diapers and diaper wipes, he noted as he carefully pushed her shirt out of the way. "Ok," he began to himself. "Not too hard. Just remove the diaper, use the wipes, and put on a new diaper," he instructed himself.

Following his own directions, Xander undid the sticky tabs at either side of the diaper. He then grabbed a gentle hold of his daughter's legs and lifted them up slightly which would allow him to more easily clean up the mess. He then took the dirty diaper as well as the few dirty diaper wipes and placed them aside as he struggled with the new, clean diaper.

"Which way is front?" he asked in shock as he stared at the thing in front of him. He took a quick glance at the old diaper as he tried to remember which way it was going. "Barney goes in front," he told himself as he carefully placed the diaper on and fastened the tabs so that it would stay on.

Even though he know it seemed childish, Xander could not help but pat himself on the back before turning back to his daughter. He smiled, picking her up and holding her close to his body in his arms. This girl, this eleven pound little girl, was his and it was now his duty to protect her. He rocked her gently within his arms until he felt confident that she had eased herself back to sleep.

He glanced down and found that he was no longer being greeted by her wide brown eyes but rather her eyes were closed and she was breathing at a nice even pace. Xander smiled fondly at her as he placed her back into the basinet. As he pulled the small pink blanket over her tiny body, he caught sight of the small folded up note on the side. "Hey," he began curiously. "What's this?"


	4. Chapter Four

Disclaimer: Alas, I still own nothing (except Morgan, of course). Such a tragic circle of life

Chapter Four

_Dear Xander,_

_ Alright, there's this thing that's been bothering me since the middle of January. Something I knew before our wedding but never told you. (Of course that was only because I was under the assumption that you would actually be willing to go through with the weddingÉBastard.) Anyway, I'm telling you now. (But if you hadn't figured it out yet, then I pity you.) Back on that hellish day, I was pregnant. Have been for nearly a month and a half at that point. And now, Xander, here is our daughter. I can't do this right now. I can't handle it. Not with everything going on and since this is all your fault, she's your responsibility now. Her name's Morgan Cecily Emerson (don't even think about changing her last name to yoursÉ) and she's four months old now. Sorry if this is such a shock and I hope that one day she can forgive me._

_Anya_

Xander's eyes read over the words over and over again. It was really from her. The same perfectly legible handwriting he had gotten used to over the years. The same pink stationary taken from the apartment they used to share when Anya had left in March.

Xander reread it over again, trying to see if there was any indication in the words of where Anya was at the time. What she was doing. The only thing Xander knew about her was that she was no longer running the Magic Box. The closed sign went up in the middle of March and to his knowledge no one had offered to take over the store.

His heart filled with sadness as he refolded the note and placed it in the back pocket of his dark denim jeans. Nothing. He glanced down at his daughter once again, relieved that she was still sleeping soundly. "Sweet dreams, sweetie," he whispered as he gently kissed the top of her forehead. "I guess it's just going to be you and me for a while," he said as he pushed himself off from the floor to an upright position. "And your unhelping aunts," he muttered softly as he exited the room, flicking the lights off behind him.

Xander had ended up spending the night over at Buffy's house. He could not even think about going home, not with his daughter sleeping in the Summers house. At first he had tried falling asleep downstairs on the couch but then found even that to be too far. _What if something frightened her in her sleep?_ he wondered. After much arguing with himself, Xander had eventually fallen asleep in Dawn's room on the floor next to Morgan's basinet.

As he awoke to the sound of screaming, he wondered if it would have been too far away to sleep in the hallway. "Hey there," he said softly as he crawled up next to Morgan, peering his head over to get a better look at her. Little patches of dark brown hair were covering her otherwise bald head and she looked up at her father with brown eyes she had inherited from him.

"She's," Xander began excitedly. "She's got my eyes! They're mine!" he continued shouting with excitement. His enthusiasm was killed when a rather large blue pillow hit him from the back of the head. Xander slowly turned around to come face to face with his attacker, Dawn.

"Honestly," the teenager began with a yawn, "I don't know who's louder: you or the baby," she stated as she stretched her arms out in front of her.

"We'll be quiet," Xander promised meekly as he leaned over and picked up his daughter, holding her gently within his arms. "Won't we?" he asked in that sweet baby-talk voice he was getting to be remarkably good at. "Yes, we will," he answered. "Say night-night to Auntie Dawn," Xander continued as he began waving good-bye to the younger Summers girl.

Dawn smiled down at the two of them. "See Xander, what'd we tell you?" she asked with a smile. "You can handle this."

Xander shook his head. "No we cannot!" he argued. "I've only conquered being able to get her to sleep and change her diaper! There's so much more, Dawnie. Feeding her, changing her clothes, bathing her"

"And we'll help you as much as we can with all of that," Dawn promised. "At least I will," she added.

"Like you did last night?" Xander shot back.

Dawn rolled her eyes. "Is this the way to get her fed, bathed, and changed?" she asked as she arched an eyebrow at her friend.

Xander groaned as he began spreading the towel out on the floor again, just in case. "Sorry," he apologized lamely to Dawn. "But you will help?" he asked.

"If you need us to," she told him. "But honestly, you're doing just fine with her."

"I am?" Xander asked doubtfully.

"You changed her diaper and got her to sleep, didn't you?" Dawn pointed out.

Xander shrugged as he placed Morgan down on the towel in preparation for changing her diaper. "I guess so," he began as he started unfastening the tabs holding his child's diaper on.

Told you," Dawn said with a pleased smile. "Hey, would you like me to fish through some of my old things and try and find her some baby toy of some sort?" the teenager offered.

Xander smiled as he reached for the bag of clean diapers. "That'd be great," he told her. "Wouldn't it?" he asked as his voice reverted to the high baby-talk voice. "You want some breakfast?" he asked Morgan as he finished putting a new diaper on her. "I bet you're hungry," he added as he picked her up within his arms and began walking her downstairs. "Where's the food again?" he asked Dawn.

"Willow's down there getting it all ready," Dawn informed her friend before he headed downstairs.

Dawn smiled, not fully being able to believe that Xander was a parent. Even though she somehow knew that Anya and Xander would be the first of them to have children, she never knew it would be quite so soon or under these strange circumstances. She sighed, walking over to her closet and opening the doors as she began digging through it in search of some smaller stuffed animals or something. Her favorite had always been this turtle thing but she was not quite ready to get rid of that just yet.

"Hmm," she said to herself as she finally spotted the basket of stuffed animals. "Should I use the duck or the rabbit?" she asked herself. She shrugged, deciding it would probably be better if Morgan got a say, or a scream, in the decision. With one stuffed animal in each hand, Dawn began walking downstairs.

"Mmm, bananas," Xander began with a smile as he held the small baby spoon with the smallest possible bit of baby food on it in front of his daughter. Morgan was resting in his lap, his left arm supporting her head and neck while he attempted to feed her with his right hand.

"Don't you like bananas?" he asked curiously. "Come on. Buffy said you ate them last night. What's wrong with them today?" He once again offered the spoon to her but she responded by keeping her mouth shut and pushing it away with one small hand.

"Buffy likes bananas," Buffy injected as she knelt down in front of the two of them. "Buffy ate her bananas when she was a baby. And now she's big and strong. You want to be strong?"

"Of course she does," Willow answered as she too knelt down in front of Xander and Morgan. "Here," she said as she reached for the spoon. "Let me help you with this," she offered.

"Please," Xander begged. "I can't get her to eat anything."

Willow smiled as she turned to Buffy. "Why don't you make a bottle of formula while I see if she wants to eat anything?" Buffy nodded in agreement as she rose from the linoleum floor. "As for you, sweetie-pie," Willow cooed as she put her focus on Morgan. "Open wide for the choo-choo train," she said as she began making train noises and bringing the food towards Morgan.

Once again, Morgan refused. "Now what?" Xander asked.

"Now we just offer some formula or something instead," Buffy said as she returned to the chair and handed the bottle to Xander. "Careful with that," she instructed. "If you raise it too high, then it'll leak. If you don't raise it high enough, she can't get anything from it."

Xander nodded as he offered the bottle to his daughter. The young girl looked up at him then started grabbing for it. "There," Xander said happily as she began sucking on the teat of the bottle. "There's my little girl."

At that moment, Dawn came bouncing into the kitchen, two stuffed animals held in her hand. One pink and white rabbit in her right hand and a small brown and white duck in her left hand. "These were what I could find that were still in relatively good condition."

Xander lowered the bottle to allow Morgan to have a better look at her two choices. "Here," Dawn began as she placed the pink and white rabbit in Morgan's lap. "Do you like the nice bunny?"

Xander's eyes widened in alarm, as did Willow's and Buffy's. Morgan responded to Dawn's first offer by screaming and pushing the horrid thing off of her. She then curled up closer to Xander in fear.

"Dawn Michelle Summers," Buffy scolded as she picked up the fallen rabbit toy. "Did you even consider who the mother of this child was?" she asked as she handed the rabbit back to her younger sister.

Dawn's face filled with realization as she glanced over at Morgan. Xander was now comfortingly rubbing her arms and whispering soothing things into her ears. "I didn't know it was hereditary," she began in her defense. "Here," she said as she handed the duck over to Xander.

Xander smiled gratefully up at Dawn before holding the duck up to Morgan. "What do you think about this?" he asked curiously. He rubbed the duck's soft head against Morgan's arms.

The little girl stopped crying and looked up at Xander with wide and confused eyes for a second. She then glanced at the duck and pulled it into her remarkably tight grip.

"Phew," Xander began in relief. "There," he said as he kissed Morgan's forehead gently. "Thank you Dawn," he said to Dawn.

The teenager smiled. "No problem," she said. "But I should be getting to school. Will, can I get a ride?"

Willow nodded. "Sure thing," she declared as she stood up from the floor. "I'll be right back," she told Xander and Buffy as she and Dawn began walking to the door. Moments later, the two of them were gone.

"Well," Xander began curiously as he once again offered the bottle to Morgan. His daughter eagerly accepted it. "Now what is there?"

Buffy thought a moment as she studied the two people in front of her. She then realized that Morgan was still dressed in the large Sunnydale High t-shirt and was being held in Xander's arms as opposed to sitting in some sort of baby bouncer or something to that effect. "Now is what I call shopping and scanning attics," she said. "That girl needs clothes, a stroller probably, a car seat, crib" she began listing.

"Woah, woah," Xander said once again. "Careful, Buff, these things are sounding pretty pricy."

"Don't worry," Buffy began. "I said there was attic searching involved. I doubt we'll have much here, but your parents probably still have some things. Just give them a call," she said.

"Call my parents?" Xander asked doubtfully.

Buffy nodded as she handed him the phone. "I'll feed Morgan," she offered as she reached for the baby.

Xander groaned as he began dialing the number to his old house. The phone rang twice before his mother answered with a tired "What".

"Mom," Xander began. "It's me. I'm at Buffy's and there's someone here I would like you to meet."


	5. Chapter Five

Disclaimer: If someone handed me the rights to all these characters, that'd be great. But until then I have to keep reiterating the fact that they're Joss's. Except for Morgan…

Chapter Five

A short time later Xander ended the telephone call. In his opinion, it had gone fairly well. Could have been worse, he told himself again as he walked over to the couch in the living room. Morgan was lying down peacefully in the basinet, which had been moved in front of the couch. Willow had left to take Dawn to school. With a lot of convincing, Dawn was able to get Buffy to go to the high school as well to talk about the possibility of working there.

"Hey, sweetie," Xander said as he sat down in front of Morgan. He extended his right hand to her, allowing her small fingers to wrap around his pointer finger. "How are you doing today?" he asked as he smiled down at his little girl. "You want to meet someone special?" he asked as he managed to free himself from her grip long enough to get her out.

Suddenly there was a sharp knocking at Buffy's door. Xander smiled, carefully holding Morgan as he stood up. He walked over towards the door and stopped, looking at the door handle then at his hands, both of which were busy supporting his daughter. "Um, it's open," he called through the door.

The door opened and Xander took a step back, allowing for his mother to fully come inside the house, closing the door behind her. "Polite sons would open the door for their mothers," Jessica Harris reminded her son.

"Polite mothers would care to spend some time with their children," Xander countered as he rolled his eyes at his mother.

"Well if that's true, then where's Anya?" Jessica asked.

"Who ever said I fell in love with someone who would be a polite mother?" Xander argued. "Even though, I guess it's my fault."

"That's right it's your fault," Jessica scolded. "But enough of that. Where is she?" she asked as she looked around the hallway.

"She's right here," Xander said as he tilted his head down towards his arms. "Morgan, this is your grandmother," Xander said as he carefully transferred Morgan over into Jessica's arms.

"Please, Xander, let me handle this," his mother said icily. She then looked down at her only grandchild. The little girl looked back up at Jessica with wide brown eyes, blinking in apparent confusion. "Hey there, sweetheart," she began. "I'm your Daddy's mommy."

"I think the word 'grandmother' covered that nicely," Xander mumbled to himself as he began guiding his mother over to the other room.

"Don't get smart with me, Xander Harris," Jessica scolded her son as she sat down on the couch, Morgan resting in her arms leaning her head against Jessica's arm. "Don't ruin this for me." She smiled down at her granddaughter, noting how much she looked like Xander. The same brown eyes filled with the same amount of confusion Xander had often had when he was younger. "She's beautiful," Jessica said finally.

Xander looked at his mother in amazement. "Did you actually say something nice to me?" he asked as he sat down next to her.

"It happens," Jessica said honestly with a sigh. "Now in all honesty, Xander, why did you call me here?" she asked as she carefully transferred the child back to Xander's arms. "I know there's a reason other than meeting her.

Xander nodded. "Yes, actually, there is. I was wondering if you--"

"Would watch her for you? Absolutely not," Jessica interrupted.

"No, that's not it," Xander argued. "I would like her to actually receive attention on a daily basis."

Jessica glared at Xander. "Uncalled for."

"No, it was perfectly called for. Don't distract me," Xander snapped. "I just wanted to know if you had anything from when I was a baby. Like a crib or changing table or baby car seat or something."

Jessica sighed. "I don't think you really deserve it but we might have some things you could use. I'll look then bring them to your apartment."

"Thanks," Xander said sincerely.

"Don't mention it," Jessica said flatly as she rose from the couch. She walked towards the door and left without saying another word. As she was exiting, Willow was entering.

"Xander," Willow said as she struggled with the two large boxes in her hands. Xander immediately caught on to Willow's need for help. He carefully placed Morgan in the basinet then walked over and grabbed the bigger of the two boxes. He placed it on the coffee table and Willow did the same with her box.

"Hey Willow," Xander said as he sat back down on the couch and picked Morgan up again.   
"It's Willow and she has boxes. What's in them?" he asked curiously.

Willow smiled as she opened the first box, the smaller one. "Infant clothes for ages 4-6 months. Granted they're from 1981, but they're clothes that you don't need to spend money on." She smiled up at Xander and Morgan as she took the first outfit out-a small pink casual dress with two kittens on the front. "What do you think?"

"I think it's time we change our little girl here," Xander said as he took the dress from Willow. He smiled as he carefully took the large Sunnydale T-shirt off his daughter and replaced it with the dress. "There," he said in his baby-voice. "You feel much better now, don't you?" he asked. He took Morgan's not crying as a 'yes'.

Willow continued emptying out the contents of the small box. All of them were clothes that Xander liked and felt were not too much like the eighties. "You are a lifesaver, Willow," he said gratefully as Willow started opening the other box.

"I know it," Willow said as she opened the box. "Ok, these are for when she gets a little older. And there's a baby seat on the front porch."

"I love you!" Xander announced happily. "If I didn't have a fragile baby in my arms, I would be hugging you right now."

"I know," Willow said again. "Here, I'll help you get a bottle for her. Then we can drive out to that Baby Store on 5th and get some other things."


	6. Chapter Six

Disclaimer: Anything, anyone, anyplace that is not Morgan is not mine. The _Buffy_ stuff is all Joss Whedon's. _I am a Kitten_ is (one of the best children's books) also not mine.

Chapter Six

"How can something so small need this many things?" Xander asked as he, Morgan, and Willow entered the large store filled with assortments of things for taking care of babies. "And how come they're all so expensive?" he asked as he walked over towards the closest aisle. The aisle contained a varied amount of baby playpens and whatnot. Xander looked at one then glanced at its price. "Holy crap! How do these people sleep at night?"

Willow looked at the playpen Xander was referring to. Her eyebrows rose at the insanity of the price. "They probably sleep in large mansions with little Swedish girls singing them to sleep," she said. "For this price, at least."

Xander drew in a breath as he scanned his selection. All of them seemed like they would do a good job at keeping Morgan contained. The only downside was they cost about three times what he was willing to pay for it. "Ok, how should this be approached?" he asked as he looked to Willow.

The witch shrugged as she reappeared next to Xander with one of the baby strollers provided by the store. "Objectively," she commented. "Think about how much money you are able to spend here in this store."

Xander nodded as he thought of the number in his head. He had a decent salary since he was heading the construction on the library. "Ok, now what?" he asked.

"Think about the necessities," Willow said as she reached for the young girl. Morgan was fast asleep within Xander's arm and the transfer to Willow to the stroller did not wake her either. "What of those does she need most? Keep in mind that I gave you the car seat and your mother can provide some things."

Xander nodded once again. "Yea, I called again. She said she'd be by with an old high chair and portable crib." He smiled as he began walking away from the playpens. "A crib which could double as her playpen and is therefore another thing I don't have to buy."

Willow smiled. "So glad my students learn fast," she said as she followed Xander to the next aisle. "Ok, here," she said as she noted the variety of items. Mostly bottles, pacifiers, and a small collection of toys and books. "You need some of these," she informed Xander.

Xander nodded as he started filling his cart with a few pacifiers, a small stuffed chick, as well as some children's books. He frowned, finding himself unable to recognize any of the book titles. "What comes next, Captain Rosenberg?" he asked curiously.

* * *

Several hours and several hundred dollars later, Xander had finished all his shopping. As far as he was concerned, there was nothing baby-related he would have to be buying for a very long time. He had at least a month's worth supply of diapers and enough toys, books, and baby bouncers to last a lifetime.

"Wow," Xander's superintendent noted as Xander and Willow started the train of baby things up to his apartment. "That's a lot of stuff."

"Expensive too," Xander commented before heading up the stairs. He stopped, taking three steps back before looking his super in the eye. "Hey Dana, could you do me a big favor?"

"What?" Dana asked.

"Could you watch my daughter while Willow and I bring all this up to my apartment?" Xander asked as he gestured over to where Willow was. The witch was sitting on a chair with Morgan on the floor near her feet in her car seat.

Dana nodded. "Not a problem. Just don't be too long."

Xander smiled gratefully. "Thanks so much. This shouldn't take incredibly long."

* * *

Xander smiled triumphantly as he finished carrying the last bag upstairs. Willow trailed in right behind him with Morgan. "There, part one of the mission is complete," she announced.

"Part one?" Xander asked in horror. "How many parts are there?"

"You have to baby-ize the house," Willow pointed out as she reached into one of the smaller bags. She retrieved the child locks and electric outlet covers. "Starting with these," she added.

"Could you?" Xander asked as he walked over and picked Morgan out of her baby car seat. "You don't want to be in there anymore, do you?" Xander asked curiously in his baby-talk voice. "No, I didn't think so. You want to read a nice book, don't you?"

Willow rolled her eyes at Xander before standing over her friend and his daughter. "Your daddy just doesn't want to do the hard parts," she told Morgan in the same sweet voice as Xander.

"Your daddy just did all the expensive parts," Xander reminded Willow while still talking sweetly. "Auntie Willow needs a turn in helping. Now do you want to read the kitten book or the book with the old bear?"

Willow sighed again, but accepted defeat. Morgan was already snuggled up close to Xander and from the looks of the two of them, they would not be moving any time soon. "Fine, Auntie Willow will baby-ize the house. But then Daddy will pay for Auntie Willow to get a nice massage."

Xander shrugged. "Fair enough," he told Willow before turning to Morgan. Morgan was in his lap and her head rested along his left arm. He used his right hand to turn the pages of the hard-covered book. "I am a kitten," he read softly to her. "My name is Kate."


	7. Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

"Ok, Morgan," Xander began gently as he pulled into the parking lot. A few weeks have passed since Morgan had been dropped off at Buffy's doorstep. His daughter was now almost six months old. It was time for Xander to get back on with the rest of life. There were still bills to be paid, and for that to happen Xander would have to work. "This is where your Daddy works," Xander told her as he got out of the car. He opened the back door and pulled Morgan out of her car seat while being careful to support her head. "Yea, you like this?" he asked as he placed a small pink hard hat on her head, which was now fully covered with wisps of dark brown hair.

Morgan smiled slightly at Xander. "Ga," she cooed.

Xander smiled back at her as he kicked the door shut with his boot. "Yea, ga is right," he told her softly as he began making his way across the site. "Hey Vince," he greeted as he came up to the man who had been running things while he was taking care of Morgan.

"Hey Harris," Vince greeted. "Nice to see you again." He smiled slightly, catching sight of the baby in Xander's arms. "I-is this her?" he asked.

Xander chuckled. "No, this is Buffy's daughter Rosemary," he teased. "Yea, this is her. Morgan Cecily Emerson."

Vince frowned. "I thought she was yours," he stated.

Xander nodded. "She is, but I didn't know about her until six weeks ago. Anya never told me she was pregnant. Then out of the blue she drops Morgan off at Buffy's, leaving nothing but a note."

"And you haven't been able to track her since?" Vince asked as he reached for Morgan.

Xander nodded as he carefully transferred his daughter to his co-worker. "Sunnydale Police confirmed that she's no longer in Sunnydale. I don't have enough money to hire a private detective. I don't even know if she's in the country anymore," Xander said sadly. Truth be told, he was not even sure if Anya was in the same dimension as he was, but he could not tell Vince about that. Vince was normal, a civilian as the Watchers Council called them.

"That sucks," Vince said plainly. "How you surviving the parenthood thing on your own?" he asked.

"Well, I have Willow and Buffy," Xander answered. "Sometimes Dawn as well, but mostly Willow. Buffy took the counselor offer at the high school, and Dawn's obviously a student, so it's mainly Willow. At least until Willow goes back to college, if she's still planning on that." He frowned slightly. "But I'm doing better. It's not as frightening as it was those first few days. I'm getting the hang of it."

"At least it's not twins," another worker Jared said as he approached the two of them. "My sister has triplets right now, two months old. Funny as hell, but it'd be scary if they were mine." With that, he left to go back to lifting.

Vince rolled his eyes at the other worker. "That's what it's been like working with him. Honestly, if someone needs to be cut, I vote it be him," he said. He smiled, looking down at Morgan. "How are you, little one?" he asked in a sweet baby-talk voice. He turned back to Xander. "Did she start teething yet?"

Xander shook his head. "Not yet."

"Good luck," Vince stated as he handed Morgan back to Xander. "Vicky's going through that now. Ronnie and I never get any sleep."

Xander's face got a sudden look of fear. "There's more things?" he asked. "More things that take away sleep? I just got used to only waking up once during the night."

"Don't get too comfortable," Vince warned. "She'll just start teething on you." He glanced up at the building. "Now if you'll excuse me, I think I should get back to work."

"Of course," Xander said. "I'm just gonna drop her back at the Summers' house," he said as he started for his car again. "I'll be back."

* * *

The rest of Xander's day had gone along fairly smoothly. He had gotten Morgan to Willow's care without much of a fuss. She had eaten all her dinner for the first time. The only thing left was bathing her, a task Xander had never done alone. He had always relied on Willow for help, but now the witch had to work on her college essay. She was going back to college for the spring semester, but before she could do that, she had to apply.

"Ok," Xander told Morgan as he had the small baby bathtub filled with water. "This is simple. You're going to get a nice, warm bath. Then you're gonna smell good, we'll read you a nice story, and you'll go to sleep without fussing, right?" Xander asked.

Morgan made a few cooing noises, which Xander took to signify her agreement with his plan. Xander smiled down at her and gently rested her in the baby tub. As he reached for the sponge, the phone began ringing. Xander groaned slightly as he looked down at his happy daughter then into the other room where the phone was. "Ok, this could be important," Xander whispered as he grabbed a towel. He gently lifted Morgan out of the tub and wrapped her in the blanket. "Come on, angel," he whispered as he picked her up and walked into the other room.

By the time he got there, the machine had already started playing its standard recorded message. Xander listened to it, noting that it still had Anya's name in it and no mention of Morgan. Xander frowned while making a mental note to change that at some point. He stopped as he heard the message.

_Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Emerson. This is Abby from Dr. Ross's office reminding you that you have scheduled an 11:30 appointment for Morgan in our offices on Fifth. If this is a problem, don't hesitate to call and let us know. Have a nice evening, and we'll see you tomorrow._


	8. Chapter Eight

Disclaimer: Morgan is still the only bit I actually own in this story.

Chapter Eight:

"Xander, if she wanted to contact you, don't you think she would have tried by now?" Willow asked Xander for the millionth time that week. Few days had passed since Xander had taken Morgan into the doctor's office. His daughter was now teething, another one of the many things for which Xander was unprepared. Luckily for him, Willow was there assuring him that anything with Morgan was normal.

"Willow, she made that appointment," Xander argued back as he walked over towards the refrigerator to retrieve another cold teething ring for Morgan. "She still cares about Morgan."

Willow rolled her hazel eyes as she picked Morgan up from the green bouncer. She then sat down on the couch with Morgan held carefully in her arms. "Xander, she could have made that appointment months ago," Willow pointed out as she grabbed the teething ring from Xander's hands.

Xander shook his head as he sat down next to Willow. "Not too long ago," he pointed out. "They never plan that much in advance for this kind of thing."

"Still, Xand, it's called a phone," Willow pointed out. "She could have called from almost anywhere on the planet."

"We don't believe that, do we?" Xander asked in his baby voice as he stole Morgan from Willow. He smiled down at his daughter. "You know your Mommy still cares, don't you?" he asked as he bounced Morgan lightly in his lap. He sighed. "You don't even remember Mommy, do you?" he asked in a deflated voice.

Willow looked on sadly for a moment. "I'll go start her bathwater," Willow offered as she rose from the couch. "Right, sweetie," she asked as she leaned down in front of Morgan. "You want to get cleaned, don't you?" She smiled as she stood up. "Be right back," she said. She gasped as she remembered something. "Actually, I got her some new bath toys."

"Willow," Xander began.

"No, they were on sale," Willow interrupted. "They're educational, and they're in my car. I'll be right back," she promised as she rushed out of the apartment."

Xander sighed as he turned his attention back to Morgan. "I bet they weren't on sale. Your Aunt Willow just wants you to be smarter than Daddy. Don't worry. The froggies will still be in the bathtub for you, and they're non-educational unless Willow is alone with you," he said.

There was a small knock at the door. Xander looked up. "That's odd," he noted. "I doubt Will would have locked herself out." He sighed heavily as he placed Morgan down in the portable crib that was doubling as a playpen. He handed her the duck and teething ring just to be sure she would stay quiet for a little bit. He sighed again as he walked over to the door.

He opened it slowly and could not believe his eyes. There was a woman at the door, but it was not Willow. Xander's mouth dropped open in shock. "Anya?"


	9. Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

"Xander," Anya said back as she placed a lock of her now brown hair back behind her ear. She did not know what do say to him. "Are you going to let me come in, or is this freak show going to be available for the whole hallway to see?" she asked finally.

"Sorry," Xander said as he stepped back a little. He was still obviously in shock. "I'm just--"

"Surprised?" Anya asked as she entered the apartment. She remained standing as she did not know where she should be sitting or anything.

"We're past that, aren't we?" Xander asked. He did not know what he should be thinking right now. He was angry with Anya. How could she do that to him? To Morgan? On the other hand, if she was willing to come back and work on their relationship, he could forgive her. He just did not know. He smiled as he walked back over to the crib and picked up Morgan. "Remember who that is?" he asked as he held Morgan in a way so that she could see Anya. "That's your Mommy."

Anya's heart melted as she saw her little girl. "Xander, she's beautiful," Anya cooed. "You didn't do as horrible a job as I thought you would."

"Thank you," Xander said simply as he took a seat on the couch. Morgan was sitting up in his lap.

Anya looked around uncomfortably before finally deciding it was all right for her to sit down as well. She sat down at the other end of the couch and put both her legs together. She said nothing.

A minute later, Xander broke the unbearable silence. "What are you doing here, Anya?" he asked. "Morgan's my daughter now. You abandoned her on Buffy's doorstep two months ago. If you want to work on our relationship, then we can work something out. If not, then the door is behind you."

"Xander, I'm taking her back," Anya stated firmly.

"What?" Xander asked in shock.

"Social Services still legally recognizes her as my daughter. It has to be five months of abandonment before she can be put up for adoption. You're not even in the picture as far as they were concerned," Anya stated. "I just needed some time."

Xander could not believe what he was hearing. "Needed some time?" he repeated angrily. "In your note, you said she was my responsibility, and I've made her my responsibility. Diapers, clothes, cribs, toys, food--"

"And I'll reimburse you for all of that," Anya stated calmly. "But I'm taking her back. I have a job in New York where I can support the two of us."

"No," Xander declared. "I'm not letting you do this. Anya, you walked out on us. You can get a job here, and we can split custody. I am not letting you take my daughter across the country."

"Xander," Anya began softly.

"Anya," Xander almost yelled at her. If he was not holding his daughter, he would be yelling at Anya. "Are you even listening to how unreasonable you're being?"

"It's better for her," Anya said. "I'd be making more money."

"What's best for her is having two parents," Xander pointed out. "Think about it, Anya. She's already been through a lot. She had a system with you for the first four months, now she has a new system with me, Buffy, and Willow. Do you really want to shake that up?"

"She's a baby," Anya said. "She'll adjust."

Xander shook his head. "I can't look at you right now. You're being unfair, both to me and especially to her," he scolded. He turned to Morgan. "You like it here, don't you?" he asked in the high pitch voice.

"Dada," Morgan cooed.


	10. Chapter Ten

Author's Note: I know it's been forever since I updated this. I apologize for that, and for the fact that this chapter is short. However, I do have ideas for how to finish this story, so I should be updating it more frequently provided that people are interested.

Chapter Ten

"Yea," Xander said to Morgan. "That's right, sweetie. You like it with me and Willow."

Anya frowned and crossed her hands over her chest. "She's not calling you by name," she noted harshly. "She's only saying sounds that happen to resemble a name she might call you."

Xander rolled his eyes a her. "And if she had said 'Mama', it would be an entirely different story," he snapped. "Face it, Ahn, you can't have her. I gave you your options as far as raising her with me. For her sake, I'm willing to work on our relationship."

"That's it?" Anya asked in shock. "Only for her sake?"

Xander shook his head. "No, I'd do it without her, too," he admitted. "Ahn, I'm still in love with you. You have to know that. I was an ass that day. I know that. I get that." He put on his best 'puppy dog eye' face for her. "Please, reconsider."

"Xander," Anya said firmly as she extended her hands out to take Morgan. Xander initially hesitated, but he did hand over his daughter. Anya exhaled heavily. "My, she's gotten big." She held Morgan up in front of her face. "Yes, you've changed so much. Mommy's missed you."

"Ahn, this isn't fair," Xander argued again. "I'd be missing out on all of these aspects of her life. When she takes her first steps, her first Christmas, her first day of school…I don't want to have to take this to court. You know I'll win."

Anya shook her head as she finally stood up. "My flight leaves at eleven," she said.

"This is crap, Ahn, and you know it. You can work anywhere. I'm Morgan's father. This is her home," Xander insisted. "I'm not saying we should get back together. Listen to us. All we're doing is fighting now." He sighed. "But stay in Sunnydale. Please. At least let us try to work this out."

Anya stopped. Normally, she would just dismiss the thought. She wanted what she wanted. She was usually pretty good about getting it, too, especially when she wanted something from Xander. However, he made it quite clear that he was not going to give Morgan up without a fight. Fight in this day in age translated to court, which would not make her look good. She abandoned her daughter on the front steps of someone's house. Although she now had a job, there were no official records of her existence until fall of 1998.

"Ok," she said.


End file.
